The Story

Star Industry started their career somewhere in 1996. Peter, Stijn and Xavier were friends for a long time and went to the same school of Arts Academy. That’s where they founded the band. They were all big fans of the early New Wave scene. That dark, mystic music inspired them a lot and they decided to form a band. And with the first demo’s created at a local studio, they had a feeling that there was an excellent cohesion between them as musicians. So, from the start there was a strong believe they could make something special  out of this band. And look, after all those years they’re still going on with a lot of joy and pleasure.

In the following year Marc Haerden (Drums) and Peter Gerits (Synths) joined the band and they went to the famous Galaxy Studio to record their first album ‘Iron Dust Crush’, which first was released independently. But after a few months they signed a record deal with Purple Moon Records.

The album contains their massive anthem ‘Nineties’  that was played in clubs and radio stations all over the world and even topped the alternative charts in Israel. The song appears on the ‘Nightbreed’s New Alternatives Compilation’  that had a huge impact worldwide and the band became immediately popular in the New Wave and Gothic scene. And on April 12^th 1998, Star Industry played their debut concert at the Black Easter Festival in Ghent, sharing the stage with VNV Nation, Diary Of Dreams, Love Like Blood and Covenant.

The album got a lot of positive comments from the press and that results in their first concerts in clubs and at festivals in the U.K., Germany (WGT), Belgium (EuroRock) and across Europe.

In 1999 the band released the ‘New Millennium E.P.’  on the EuroRock Festival, which contains a cover version of Killing Joke’s ‘Kings & Queens’ and got a lot of airplay. This brought them playing on the awesome Carnival of Souls Festival and ‘New Millennium’  was part of the compilation with the same name.

At the end of 1999 Marc was replaced on Drums by Kurt Lantin.

In 2001 there was the follow up full album ‘Velvet’  that created a larger recognition. Later that year Star Industry played for the first time at the famous M’era Luna Festival with Gary Numan, Paradise Lost and Marylin Manson at the line-up.

After a few years on the road the band starts recording another album in 2006.

This time with Belgian top producer Luc Van Acker, well known for his work with and member of Arbeit Adelt!, Shriekback, Ministry and Revolting Cocks.

‘Last Crusades’  was finally released in 2007 and was the first album on their current label Alfa Matrix. It came in 4 different versions and was also released under a Russian Licence. The songs combine the traditional Star Industry gothic rock with electronic and industrial influences. This album once more proved the bands prominent place in the scene.

The tour followed by this release brought them to a lot of nice events and unique moments. One of the highlights was their performance on the main stage at WGT Leipzig, supporting London After Midnight and Fields Of The Nephilim.

On stage is where Star Industry had felt always at their best. Their numerous, and always highly praised, performances across Europe have established them as one of Belgium’s best gothic rock export! And so, in 2008 the band offers the live album ‘Black Angel White Devil’, recorded in La Scala in Madrid. A nice live document of their career so far.

In 2011 a Chinese promoter invited the band for a tour across the country. An amazing experience with concerts, among others, in Hong Kong, Shanghai and the famous Mao Livehouse Beijing.

And in 2012 Star Industry performs for the first time in the U.S. at the Tammany Hall New York Manhattan.

A new release came in 2014. The ‘Eilyne E.P.’, as an appetizer for the band’s forthcoming new studio album. The song Eilyne depicts the story of a fallen movie-star with a straight dance floor appeal, attractive synth layers and characteristic goth rock vocals and incisive guitar sound. An extremely catchy and pulsing song which makes you want to rush on to the dance floors.

The next album ‘The Renegade’ came out in 2015 and was recorded at the fabulous Motor Music Studio. On this album Star Industry reunified their faithful gothic rock fan base with characteristic anthems mixing distinct piano lines, incisive catchy synth melodies, powerful guitar parts and above all, Peter’s unique way of bringing choruses that the whole crowd could sing along. The band successfully managed once again marrying darkness and melody, force and beauty on a homogeneous yet still diversified masterpiece that will perfectly work in club parties and on stage.

After the release of ‘The Renegade’  Peter Gerits was forced to leave the band for health reasons and was replaced by Rich Vanderhoven on synths.

The Renegade tour thereafter brought the band to Mexico, Los Angeles, San Francisco and a lot of festivals and clubs across Europe.

In 2019 Alfa Matrix popped up with the compilation ‘A Tribute to Depeche Mode’  which contains a Star Industry’s steamy pumping version of the DM song Stripped.

On October 28^th 2021 tragedy struck when co-founder and beloved Bass player Stijn suddenly died of a traumatic aortic rupture, a heart failure. This happened in the night, after a rehearsal, three days before their upcoming concert at the Sinner’s Day Festival. The first gig after the long Covid pandemic.

The organization decided not to replace the band, but instead DJ’s played the best of Star Industry for an hour as a tribute.

The band lets this tragic incident sink in for a while and then decides to move on. Also to honor Stijn, he wouldn’t have wanted anything else.
Rich exchanges the Keyboards for the Bass guitar, with which he already had a past, and Joël Vranken, brother of Xavier, takes on the Synth honors.

The band is currently working on a new album, expected sometime in 2024…..